Attachment for stringed musical instruments



Nov. 8, 1949 SMITH 2 4-81192 ATTACHMENT FOR STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTSFiled May 24, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l 36 z 35 Fl v INVENTOR. WALTER E.SMITH Nov 8, 1949 w. E. SMETH ATTACHMENT FOR STRINGEb MUSICALINSTRUMENTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 24, 1946 INVENIOR. WALTER E.SMITH Patented Nov. 8, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ATTACHMENT FORSTRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS My invention relates to improvements indevices adapted for attachment to stringed musical instruments, andparticularly to guitars, and consists in the constructions andarrangements hereinafter described and claimed.

It is an object of my invention to provide an attachment of the abovecharacter which when attached to a guitar or the like, will enable theplayer to change the tones of certain of the strings while theinstrument is being played, by means other than and additional to thosenormally employed for playing the instrument, whereby a greater numberof chords may be obtained when the strings are picked or played incombination than would otherwise be the case.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved attachmentfor guitars and the like, which includes means operable by the playerfor modifying the tension of a string while the instrument is beingplayed, for causing the open string to produce a different tone than itwould normally produce, thereby to enable the player to obtain a greaternumber of chords than would be otherwise obtainable.

A further object of my invention is to provide an attachment of theabove character, which may be secured to the instrument withoutstructural modification thereof, and which may be readily installed andremoved, as desired, by the player of the instrument,

It is still a further object of the invention to provide a device of theabove character which shall be simple and economical of construction,and which may be readily controlled and actuated.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specificationsand the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed outin the appended claims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein thesame numerals of reference are applied to similar points throughout thevarious views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a portion of a guitar and embodying animproved attachment in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a contracted side elevational view, enlarged, of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view in side elevationof an attaching device utilized withmy invention;

Figure 4 is a plan view of another embodiment of my invention;

Figure 5 is a plan view of still another embodiment of the invention;

Figure 6 represents a plan view of variation of the device illustratedin Figure 5; and

Figure 7 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section taken through afurther embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, 1 represents the head portionand 8 the neck portion of a guitar, having a series of strings I, 2, 3,4, 5, 6, which pass to a series of tightening keys H, I2, I3, I4, I5,I6. The nut 9 over which the strings normally pass is supplemented by adevice I0 which overlies the nut 9 and provides a compartment I! forvarious springs and levers to be described. The construction abovereferred to provides for retentionof the device l0 against the nut 9 andthe neck 8 by the pressure of the guitar strings and without thenecessity for retaining screws, which would mar the instrument. Thedevice ID, as will be seen in Figures 1, 2, 4, and '7, consists of ahousing substantially rectangular in outline and formed with a raisedfront part 6i positioned over. the nut 9 and a lower rear part 62. Theguitar strings pass under tension across raised part 6| for holding thehousing I9 in place. Raised portion 6| also serves to elevate thestrings whereby various tone-modifying means may be positioned both onand in the housing ID, as seen in Figures 2 and 7 especially. Thehousing also comprises end walls 63 and a rear wall 64 the lower edgesof which rest against the top surface of neck 8, and a top section allof which cooperate in supporting the tonemodifying means to bedescribed.

A U-shaped strap I8 fits over the neck 8 of the instrument and the armsI9 of the strap I8 are provided with hooks 29. A spring 2|, having ends22 secured Within the hooks 20 extends about and frictionally engagesthe under side of the neck 8, and serves to retain the strap I8 inplace. Extending laterally from the strap I8 is a flange I9 forsupporting a horizontally extending bar 23, which slides Within asuitably proportioned slot in the flange l9 and which comprises anactuating lever 23a, readily accessible for movement by the knee of aplayer.

The bar 23, at its forward end, is provided with a longitudinallyextending slot 24, receiving retaining pins 25 and 26 which are linkedby means of lost motion slots 21 and 28 to levers 29 and 30.

The lever 29 serves to cause pivotal motion of a link 3| about a pin 32to raise or lower the string 3 at a point intermediate the nut 9 and thekey I3, whereby to increase the tension on the string 3 to a slightdegree, and raise its tone.

The lever 30, on the other hand, is provided with a shelf 33, pivoted ona pin 34, which extends parallel to the pin 32 through the compartmentI1, and is normally spring pressed upwardly against the string 2 bymeans of a coil spring 35, which surrounds the pin 34 and an end 35 ofwhich extends under the shelf 33. The compartment I1 is provided with aset screw 31' which acts to adjust the tension of the spring 35.Actuation of the lever 30 serves to lower the shelf 33 against thetension of the spring 35, whereby the tension in string 2 is reduced andits tone lowered.

In the embodiments of Figures 4, 5 and 6 the construction for varyingthe tone normally producible by the string 2 involves a rod 49 whichactuates a crank 41 pivotally mounted on the transverse rod 42, the saidcrank 41 having a transversely extending arm 49, which extends under thestring 2. The arm 43 is normally pressed upwardly to tension the string2 by means of an end extension 44 of a coil spring 45, which surroundsthe transverse rod 42. Extension 44 extends through a slot 49 in thecompartment I! and over the arm 43. The tension of the coil spring 45 isadjustable by means of a set screw 41. In the embodiment of Figure 4 aseparate rod 48 and lever 49 are provided for increasing the tension ofthe string 2.

In the embodiment of Figure 5 the spring 45 is dispensed with and a pairof strings 59 and 5| are substituted which are secured, as indicated at52, in the nut 9, and which may be tightened by the key 13 whichnormally also acts to tighten the string 3. Upon tensioning the string 3the strings 50 and 5! are also tensioned and provide an upward force forthe arm 43. Actuation of rod 49 and crank 4| serves to depress the arm43 against the strings 59 and 5!, whereby the tension in string 2 isreduced.

Figure 6 is similar to Figure 5 except that a single string 53 isutilized in place of the strings 5B and 5|.

Figure 7 of the drawings discloses a further embodiment of the inventionwherein tension on the string 2 is normally provided by a helical,frusto-conical spring 55, having at its upper end a block 56 extendingthrough an aperture 51 in the compartment H. Threadedly engaged in theblock 55 is a screw 58 having in its head a slot 59 which bears upwardlyagainst the string 2, and is disengageable from the string 2 by means ofthe lever 60, actuable by the player of the instrument.

While I have described and illustrated various embodiments of myinvention, it is to be understood that modifications of thecombinations, arrangements of parts and various structural details maybe resorted to without doing violence to the spirit of my invention asdefined in the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United Statesis:

1. The combination with a stringed musical instrument comprising a neckand a nut thereon and lever means associated therewith for modifyingstring tension, of a housing positioned on the neck under the stringsand formed to provide a raised front portion positioned over the nutacross which the strings rest under tension for holding the housing inplace, said housing having a rear portion lower than said front portionenclosing and supporting said lever means.

2. The combination with a stringed musical instrument comprising a neckhaving lever means associated with the upper end thereof for modifyingstring tension, of a housing positioned on said upper end of the neckunder the strings and formed to provide a raised front portionpositioned over the nut across which the strings rest under tension forholding the housing in place, said housing having a rear portion lowerthan said front portion enclosing and supporting said lever means.

WALTER E. SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,374,388 Reed Apr. 12, 19211,834,695 Geart-ner Dec. 1, 1931 2,040,633 Schulz May 12, 1936 2,132,281Adamson Oct. 4, 1938 2,196,531 Larisch Apr. 9, 1940 2,201,536 Harvey May21, 1949 2,257,995 Abrams et al Oct. '7, 1941 2,323,969 Biederman July13, 1943

